# 1973 in paleontology

Paleontology or palaeontology is the study of prehistoric life forms on Earth through the examination of plant and animal fossils. This includes the study of body fossils, tracks (ichnites), burrows, cast-off parts, fossilised feces (coprolites), palynomorphs and chemical residues. Because humans have encountered fossils for millennia, paleontology has a long history both before and after becoming formalized as a science. This article records significant discoveries and events related to paleontology that occurred or were published in the year 1973.

## Plants
### Conifers

| Name | Novelty | Status | Authors | Age | Unit | Location | Notes | Images |
| Pinus arnoldii | Sp nov | valid | Miller | Eocene Ypresian | Okanogan Highlands Allenby Formation Princeton Chert | Canada British Columbia | A 5-needle pine cone species | |
| Pinus similkameenensis | Sp nov | valid | Miller | Ypresian | Okanogan Highlands Allenby Formation Princeton Chert | Canada British Columbia | A 5-needle pine needle species | |

### Angiosperms

| Name | Novelty | Status | Authors | Age | Type locality | Location | Notes | Images |
| Eorhiza | Gen et sp nov | valid | Robison & Person | Eocene Ypresian | Okanogan Highlands Allenby Formation Princeton Chert | Canada British Columbia | A semi-aquatic flowering plant of uncertain affiliation The type species is E. arnoldii Possibly a monocot related to Acorus | |

## Arthropods
### Insects

| Name | Novelty | Status | Authors | Age | Unit | Location | Notes | Images |
| Epiborkhausenites | Gen et sp. nov | valid | Skalski | Bartonian | Baltic amber | Lithuania | An Oecophoridae moth, type species E. obscurotrimaculatus | |
| Tortricidrosis | Gen. et sp. nov | Valid | Skalski | Lutetian | Baltic amber | Europe | A Tortricidae moth. The type species is T. inclusa. | Tortricidrosis inclusa |

## Conodonts

| Name | Novelty | Status | Authors | Age | Unit | Location | Notes | Images |
| Protoprioniodus | Gen. nov | valid | McTavish | Lower Ordovician | Emanuel Formation | Australia | | |

## Archosauromorphs
### New pseudosuchian taxa

| Name | Novelty | Status | Authors | Age | Unit | Location | Notes | Images |
| Lisboasaurus | Gen. nov | valid | Seiffert | Middle Jurassic | Guimarota lignite | Portugal | Crocodylomorph | |

### Crocodylomorph research

* William Roger Hamilton describes a second specimen of Tomistoma dowsoni from the Siwa Oasis of Egypt.

### Newly named dinosaurs

Data courtesy of George Olshevsky's dinosaur genera list.
| Name | Novelty | Status | Authors | Age | Unit | Location | Notes | Images |
| Efraasia | gen nov | Valid | Galton | Middle Norian | Löwenstein Formation | Germany | basal sauropodomorph | |
| Kelmayisaurus | gen et sp nov | Valid | Dong | Early Cretaceous | Lianmugin Formation | China | carcharodontosaurid | |
| Phaedrolosaurus | gen et sp nov | nomen dubium | Dong | Early Cretaceous | Lianmugin Formation | China | described from a single tooth | |
| Phyllodon | Gen et sp nov | Valid | Thulborn | Middle Jurassic | Guimarota lignite | Portugal | possible Hypsilophodontid | |
| Shantungosaurus | gen et sp nov | Valid | Hu | Late Cretaceous | | China | largest known ornithischian | Shantungosaurus |
| Trimucrodon | Gen et sp nov | nomen dubium | Thulborn | Middle Jurassic | Guimarota lignite | Portugal | Ornithischian of uncertain placement | |
| Tugulusaurus | gen et sp nov | Valid | Dong | Early Cretaceous | Tugulu Group | China | coelurosaurian | |
| Wuerhosaurus | gen et sp nov | Valid | Dong | Early Cretaceous | Tugulu Group | China  Mongolia | one of the last stegosaurians | Wuerhosaurus |

### Newly named birds

| Name | Novelty | Status | Authors | Age | Unit | Location | Notes |
| Atlantisia elpenor | Sp. nov. | valid | Storrs L. Olson | Late Holocene-Subrecent | | Ascension Island | A Rallidae, transferred to the new genus Mundia by Bourne, Ashmole et Simmons, 2003, it is the type species of the new genus. |
| Garganoaetus freudenthali | Gen. nov. et Sp. nov. | valid | Peter Ballmann | Early Pliocene | MN 14-15 | Italy | An Accipitridae. |
| Garganoaetus murivorus | Sp. nov. | valid | Peter Ballmann | Early Pliocene | MN 14-15 | Italy | An Accipitridae. |
| Gypaetus osseticus | Sp. Nov. | Nomen Nudum | Nikolay I. Burchak-Abramovich | Middle Pleistocene | | Soviet Union (Now Georgia (country)) | An Accipitridae. |
| Ichthyophaga australis | Sp. nov. | valid | Collin J. O. Harrison Cyril A. Walker | Holocene | Chatham Island | New Zealand | An Accipitridae, transferred to the genus Haliaeetus. |
| Idiornis gaillardi | Sp. nov. | valid | Joel Cracraft | Eocene or Oligocene | Phosphorites du Quercy | France | A Gruiformes, Idiornithidae Brodkorb, 1965, transferred to the genus Dynamopterus Milne-Edwards, 1892 by Cécile Mourer-Chauviré, 2013. |
| Lophopsittacus bensoni | Sp. nov. | valid | David T. Holyoak | Subrecent | Mauritius | Mauritius | A Psittacidae, transferred to the genus Psittacula by Julian P. Hume, 2007. |
| Palaeoaramides minutus | Sp. nov. | valid | Joel Cracraft | Middle Miocene | Grive-St.-Alban | France | A Rallidae. |
| Palaeorallus brodkorbi | Sp. nov. | valid | Joel Cracraft | Early Eocene | Wasatch Formation | United States ( Wyoming) | A Rallidae. |
| ?Palaeospheniscus huxleyorum | Sp. nov. | valid | George G. Simpson | Miocene | Ysterplaats | South Africa | A Spheniscidae, not for sure a member of the genus Palaeospheniscus Moreno et Mercerat, 1891. |
| Porzana astrictocarpus | Sp. nov. | valid | Storrs L. Olson | Late Holocene-Subrecent | | Saint Helena | A Rallidae. |
| "Primobucco" kestneri | Sp. nov. | valid | Alan Feduccia | Early Eocene | Wasatchian Green River Formatie | United States ( Wyoming) | A ?Galbulae the species does not belong in Prinobucco, nor in Neanis, it was transferred to by Feduaccia, 1976, it needs a new genus. |
| Quercyrallus quercy | Sp. nov. | valid | Joel Cracraft | Eocene or Early Oligocene | Phosphorites du Quercy, MP 16-28 | France | A Rallidae. |
| Tyto gigantea | Sp. nov. | valid | Peter Ballmann | Early Pliocene | MN 14-15 | Italy | A Tytonidae. |
| Tyto robusta | Sp. nov. | valid | Peter Ballmann | Early Pliocene | MN 14-15 | Italy | A Tytonidae. |
| Wyleyia valdensis | Gen. nov. et Sp. nov. | valid | Colin J. O. Harrison Cyril A. Walker | Early Cretaceous | Weald Clay | United Kingdom | An Enantiornithes Walker, 1981, Enantiornithidae Nessov & Borkin, 1983, known from a single humerus, this is the type species of the new genus. |

### Newly named pterosaurs

| Name | Novelty | Status | Authors | Age | Unit | Location | Notes | Images |
| Eudimorphodon ranzii | Gen. et sp. nov. | Valid | Zambelli | Norian | Zorzino Formation | Italy | | |
| Noripterus complicidens | Gen. et sp. nov | Valid | Yang | early Cretaceous | Lianmuqin Formation | China | | |